grimes



W. C. GRIMES. PORTABLE STEAM GENEEATOE.

No. 23,528. Patented Apr.l 5, 1859.

UNITED sTATEs vPATENT oFFIcE.

W. C. GRIMES, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND R. B. FITTS.

PORTABLE STEAM-GENERATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 23,528, dated April 5, 1859.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, W M. C. GRIMES, of Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, `and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved Mode of Making SteamGen erators More Portable and the Boilers Thereof Self-Supplying; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and eX- act description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which make part of this specification.

The nat-ure of my invention consistsin part-of so constructing, a steam generator, that it may be separated into two or more parts, at any moment when desired, and be again reunited with equal facility; the parts being made to iit slightly within, and rests, the one upon the other; whereby it becomes more portable and convenient. And, secondly, in the mode of making the boiler self supplying, by means of a floating valve, which closes or opens the orifice of the supply tube or passage, by the rise or fall of the water in the boiler. The was ter passes into the boiler by the force of gravitation only, as a pressure of but one or two pou-nds of steam being all that is required for the purpose for which it is designed viz, heating, or boiling water for any purpose whatever. And, thirdly, in the mode of utilizing the heat (otherwise lost by radiation) by surrounding the furnace with an annular space, formed by the exterior jacket or shell; within which space the air circulates and becomes heated before passing into the lire. The heat remaining in the gases often passing through the fluesof the boiler I economize by passing them ,up through the flues or flue of a heater, or water reservoir above, and resting upon the boiler.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation more minutely.

In the drawings before referred to, and accompanying this specification, like letters refer to like parts in all -the ligures.

Figure 1 is a perspective of the steam generator. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the same, showing the three distinct parts of which the steam generator is composed. Fig. 3 is a transverse or horizontal section of the same through the lower part near the surface of the grate-bars, giving a top View of these, and a section `of the shell, clay cylinder, Src. Fig. 4 is a transverse section of the boiler through the upper part.

In Fig. 2 the three distinct parts A B and 60 H (which when united make the generator a unit) are represented as raised slightly the one from the other. The furnace or lower section consists of a metallic shell A, Y a Clay cylinder D and grate bars E all of the usual Construction except that an annular Space is left betweenthe clay cylinder and outer shell, of suiiicient capacity to allow of a proper supply of air to pass through it for the lire. The air entering at the aperturesA a a in the shell A thence downward and through the apertures b I) in the ring F into the space G below-y the grate bars. The ring F being riveted to the shell- A serves to support the grate bars, and the clay cylinder; the latter being held concentric., and the annular space closed above, by the ring c. A number of smalll apertures d d are made through the clay cylinder to admit air for the consumption of the gases.

N N are handles by which the different parts are lifted and removed.

The boiler B is a short vertical tubular boiler, the external diameter of which is such as to fit into the upper end of the furnace shell and rest upon the ring c 0 or it may rest upon lugs as shown at f. Within each iuetgr/ tube Z of the boiler, a rod is hung from a 'cross piece /L at the top. 90 Upon these rods are fixed a series of heads or disks I I formed of sheet metal; or the three parts, may be cast in one piece. The disks are of about three fourths of the diameter of the interior of the flue, and serve to cause the llame and heated gases to impinge more effectually upon the interior surfaces of the flues or tubes. One or more of these heads or disks are made in the form shown at 7c (Fig. 4) to keep the others con- 100 centric.

Upon one side of the boiler is aiiXe-d a cylinder K, having two tubular connections with the boiler at J J, one opening into the steam space, the other int-o the water space. A boss is formed upon the boiler and cylinder by riveting collars I I to the same, these serve as a base of sufficient thickness to unite the boiler and cylinder K with tubular screws J, J. i

L is a screw plug closing an aperture through which the lower tubular screw 1s inserted, the upper one being drawn up, byAV turning the cylinder thereon.

vupper part terminating in the form of a cone, which part acts as a valveto close the central aperture in vthe head of the cylinder. This valve or fioat rises and falls with the water in the boiler and closing or opening the aperture above it, as the water rises or falls in the boiler whereby the latter becomes, by these means self supplying g-provided always,-there be a sufficient supply of water in the heater or reservoir H above it. v This reservoir or heater is provided with a bent tube P connecting it with the head of the cylinder K: through this tube the water iiows from the heater to the boiler; under the influence of gravitation only; the water in the heater being sufficiently elevated to overcome what little resistance there may be from the steam in the boiler, as it is not intended that the pressure therein shall eX- ceed one o-r two pounds to the inch.

A steam tight joint is made between the cap and fianch of the cylinder K by a ring of rubber packing in the usual manner, the

-weight of the heater which may be made in part to rest upon it, and which in general will be sufficient to maintain the joint, or should it not at any time, then the screw O may be used for the purpose.

Q Q is the flue or chimney passing up through the heater, and R R is the water space in the same. i

T is ashort metallic tube inserted into the upper part of the boiler, to which is attached a flexible rubber tube U, through which to convey the steam to the vessel in which it is to be used.

I am aware that a steam generator has been made portable by making the boiler separable from and adjustable upon a furnace or common stove; and that a feed valve has been operated by a float by the water of i the boiler, for the purpose of regulating the air draft through the flues; and also that an kannular chamber has been arranged between the casing of the boiler and the recylinder so as to cause the draft-air to pass through the said annular chamber before it enters the fire cylinder; therefore I do not claim,'broadly, the making a portable steam generator. in several distinct, or separable parts; nor the use of a float-valve, operated by the water of the `boiler' so as to regulate vthe draft of air through the flues, neither do I claim making an annular chamber around the fire cylinder, so as to operate as part of a flue'be'tween the said fire cylinder and the escape flues; but having fully described my improved portable steam generator What I claim as new therein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is, 1. Making the three distinctively specied parts, consisting of the furnace (A) the boiler (B) with its external cylinder (K) and oat (V) attachedv as described, and the reservoir (II,) so' as to be readily separable from each other and re-adjustable together, at any moment, as specified, in the manner and for the purpose set forth and described. f

2. Making the boiler (B) self-supplying (with water) by means of the float (V,) and its. containing Vcylinder (K) arranged in connection with the boiler as described; the same operating together in combination with the reservoir (IL) substantially as set forth and described.

3. Making the furnace (A), with an annular chamber between the fire cylinder (D) the outside shell (A) and the rings (C and F,) lwhen the same are constructed, arranged and combined together and with the other parts of the boiler so as to cause the air which supports the combustion of the fuel in vthe said cylinder (D), to pass down through the said annular chamber before it enters the said fire cylinder (D), as and for the purpose set forth and described.

WM. C. GRIMES.

Witnesses: -Y

GEORGE T. STUCKERT, JOHN E. POTTER. 

